What's New

What'sNew

Beware of Pre-Paid Credit Card Scam

A number of frauds have surfaced in Durham Region and across the GTA involving the fraudulent purchase of pre-paid credit cards.

In several cases a suspect calls a resident claiming he is from the Canada Revenue Agency and indicating the resident has outstanding taxes. The resident is then encouraged to go out and purchase pre-paid credit cards in order to pay the money owed. The information from the card is then given to the suspect over the phone.

In other cases, consumers and businesses have been receiving calls from an individual that claims to represent their local electric, water or gas company. The caller advises that there is an overdue bill and payment is required immediately or the services will be shut off.

The caller requests payment by prepaid debit/credit cards with Pay Power Cards and Green Dot Cards being the primary choices. No photo identification is required to purchase these cards and the funds are difficult to trace once loaded to the card. In some cases suspects have attended businesses in person.

March is Fraud Awareness month and DRPS is partnering with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) to ensure residents dont fall victim to a number of ongoing scams. If you feel youve been a victim of a scam please contact police at 1-888-579-1520 or the CAFC .